SOC366H1 Women and Work (1).docx

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, Summer 2012
SOC366H1: Women and Work, Room 2118, Sidney Smith
Tuesdays/Thursdays 10:00-12:00
Professor Paloma E. Villegas, Room 341, Sociology, 725 Spadina (at Bloor)
Office Hours: Tuesdays/Thursdays 12-1 pm
Email: [email protected]
Phone: TBA
Teaching Assistant: TBA
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course begins by exploring women‟s experiences of paid and unpaid work and the relationship
between the two. Questions raised in class include gender gap in earnings, sexual segregation of the
labour force, restructuring of paid work, sexual harassment, paid domestic work, and the division of
housework and childcare. The course uses a transnational intersectional feminist perspective to analyze
gendered relations in labor contexts, focusing primarily on Canada.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
 To define and operationalized a transnational intersectional feminist perspective to women
and work
 To identify and contrast different approaches to analyzing gendered labor processes
IMPORTANT NOTE: The prerequisite to take this course is A 200+ level SOC course. Students
without this prerequisite will be removed at any time they are discovered.
READINGS
Journal articles: available through the University of Toronto library e-journal system.
EVALUATION AND ASSIGNMENTS
Date Percent of
Assignments Grade
Critical response 1 May 22, 2012 10
Critical response 2 May 29, 2012 10
Essay proposal and annotated bibliography June 5, 2012 15
Essay 10 pages June 21, 2012 35
Final Exam TBD 30
ASSIGNMENTS
Format for assignments: Double-spaced, 12-font (Times New Roman), 1-inch margins on all sides, proper
paragraphs, no extra empty spaces between sections and paragraphs, page numbering, and references
page. Use a cover page to identify the following: your name, student number, title of paper, date
submitted course title and number. You are encouraged to print double-sided to save paper.
References: You are free to use any citation style you choose, however, please be consistent and properly
cite any work that is not your own. Submission of Assignments: Assignments are due at the beginning of class in hardcopy format. You
must also submit your assignment via Blackboard on the day it is due.
Critical Responses
You are required to submit two critical responses to course readings. The first is due May 22, 2012 and
the second on May 29, 2012.
Instructions: Select one course reading and write a 2-page response. You response should include the
following: a brief 2-3 summary of the reading, a substantive engagement with the main concepts/ideas
discussed. Note: the latter is not a summary, but an engagement. In order to do this, you can ask
yourself: How do these concepts relate to course discussions? How do they relate to other readings?
Alternatively, you may provide a critique of the reading. This does not mean stating: “I liked it” or “I did
not like it.” Think about what about the reading advances your learning and what do you find limiting.
Paper proposal and annotated bibliography Due June 5, 2012.
You will be writing a 10-page research paper for this course. You are free to select any topic, as long as it
relates to course discussions/readings. You are required to write a paper proposal. A proposal is a
particular genre of writing. It is not a series of notes, it is not a mini-essay and it is not a list of bullet
points. Rather, a proposal should gesture to the larger paper you will write and include the following:
1) Your proposed topic. This is the subject area under investigation and will necessarily be descriptive
(e.g., my paper addresses the ___, or my paper explores __). Also include a tentative title.
2) Your proposed argument. This is the hardest part but also the most important part. This means that
you should write a decent-length paragraph explaining the trajectory of your projected argument. This
means you must have done enough research to have a sense of what your argument will be. This also
means you will be building on (1), but whereas in (1) you might say "My essay addresses..." in (2) you
must say things like "My paper argues/demonstrates that...” You should write a paragraph that is long
enough to explain your proposed argument and how you intend to make it.
Points 1-2 should be no more than 2 pages, double-spaced. See writing guidelines above
In addition, you are required to write an annotated bibliography for 5 external academic texts.
Each entry will include:
1. The bibliographic entry
2. What you believe the text‟s main argument is.
3. How the author(s) support the argument
4. How the text is useful for your paper
[Sample entry]
Alexander, C. (2006). Introduction: Mapping the issues, special issue writing race: Ethnography and
difference. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 29(3), 397-410. Claire Alexander, in her article, “Introduction: Mapping the issues, special issue writing race:
Ethnography and difference” (2006), argues that ethnographic methods need to take race into account.
She supports her argument by “map[ping] the key issues and controversies surrounding ethnography and
race in Britain, the United States and mainland Europe, and trac[ing] the different anthropological and
sociological perspectives on the ethnographic method in relation to race and ethnicity” (p. 397). This
article is useful for my project because it evaluates ethnographic research that takes race into account
specifically.
Essay: 10 pages plus bibliography and cover page. Due June 21, 2012.
Final Exam: The final exam will consist of definitions, short answers and essays. The exam is
cumulative and will include all assigned readings as well as all lecture material and any films shown in
class.
CLASS/SEMINAR FORMAT AND PARTICIPATION
Although this course is lecture based, class participation is very important. Students are expected to do the
assigned reading before class and to come prepared with questions and comments. Participation is based
not only on attendance, but also thorough reading of course materials and engagement in class discussion.
Occasionally we will view film/clips, examine images or documents, or address a case study as a group.
Students will be given access to Power Point lecture slides, but full lecture notes will not be posted or
distributed. Students are expected to take notes – the slides are designed to be a guide to the lecture and
readings, not a replacement for either. Slides will be posted to BlackBoard after lecture.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS:
 You are expected to complete assignments on time.
 An assignment is considered late if it is not submitted by the due date noted above. In order not to be
considered late, hard copies of assignments must be submitted by the beginning of class and through
Blackboard.
 If a student anticipates missing an assignment deadline due to uncontrollable circumstances, he or she
should contact the instructor at least 7 days in advance, explain the situation, and request
accommodation. A student may be required to submit supporting documentation at the discretion of
the instructor. Please note that accommodation will be provided only for those students with
compelling reasons. Reasons such as “too much work”, losing a computer file, and technology
failure are not compelling reasons. You are expected to plan ahead and leave some extra time in case
of problems.
 Late assignments must be submitted to the instructor, not the department office staff or other
instructors. Assignments should never be pushed under an office door. Any assignments found on
the floor will be immediately discarded.
 Alternatively, there are 4 mailboxes located in Room 225. Each mailbox is marked 1, 2, 3, or 4
depending on the year/level of the course (for this course submit your paper in #3). Th